Garage Construction Project

2026-05-25 - Garage Eaton Panel Interior Before Rear Wall Breaker

3 min read

Garage Eaton Panel Interior — Before Rear Wall Breaker Added

Eaton 200A garage panel with the dead-front cover removed; empty breaker rails / bus stabs visible above; main lug compartment at bottom with feeder cables and two 2-pole branch breakers landed (SLS-installed circuits — interior GFCI + soffit lights / exterior GFCI); panel mounted on OSB-sheathed stud wall

Photo Details

  • Date: May 25, 2026
  • Time: 6:53 PM EDT
  • Phase: Phase 1 — 120V rough-in (DIY)
  • Location: Garage SE corner — Eaton 200A panel
  • Subject: Panel interior with dead-front removed, just before adding the breaker that energized the rear wall circuit

Description

State of the garage Eaton 200A panel before a new branch breaker was added for the energized rear wall outlet circuit. The dead-front cover (the part with the breaker punch-outs) is set aside; the panel interior shows the empty bus stabs running the full length of the panel and the main lug compartment at the bottom. Only the SLS-installed circuits are populated at the bottom (interior GFCI near panel, exterior GFCI, soffit light circuit, generator inlet — all completed in March/April 2026 per the Timeline).

This was the last frame before a new 20A BR-series breaker was landed on the bus for the rear wall outlet chain — the first DIY-added breaker in the garage panel.

Visible Elements

  • Eaton 200A main breaker panel (CSR series) — same panel SLS Electric installed and energized 2026-03-31
  • Empty bus stabs running the full length of the panel — capacity for ~30 single-pole branch positions plus the main
  • Two 2-pole branch breakers populated at the bottom of the bus stack — SLS’s installed circuits
  • Neutral bus running down the right side (silver bar with screw terminals)
  • Ground bus down the left side
  • Cable entries at the bottom — feeder from the underground house feed plus the SLS-installed branch romex
  • Eaton “CSR 200” label visible on the main breaker block at center-bottom
  • OSB sheathing behind the panel (drywall not yet installed in this area)
  • Dead-front cover off-frame to the side (not visible)

Why This Photo

Future-self reference. When a breaker fault or unexpected behavior shows up years from now, this photo answers the question “what did the panel look like the day I started DIY?” Compared to the next round of photos (after rear wall breaker added, after west wall + workbench breakers added, after 240V appliance circuits land), this is the clean baseline. The bus stab positions are fully visible, the only landed breakers are the four SLS-installed circuits, and the rear wall chain that will plug into the next available stab has not yet been added.

Graph View

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